Ethnopoetic Insights into Leona Florentino’s Poem: Implications for Ilocano Oral Literature

Abstract

Ilocano poets in the Philippines made a major contribution during the 19^th century. Historically, Leona Florentino was the only woman writer of her time who had poems in the vernacular, Spanish, and English. She was recognized as the Philippine poetess. However, the majority of her original works were discarded, compounded by the ensuing events of the Philippine Revolution. Despite its limitation, the study contributes to the dearth of studies about the works of Leona Florentino and Ilocano oral literature. Guided by the ethnopoetic theory, the qualitative study analyzed Florentino’s Ilocano poem “Nalpay Ti Namnama” (Blasted Hopes)  by finding its ethnographic features to reveal implications for Ilocano indigenous oral literature. Its line breaks disintegrated the poem’s emotion into manageable reflections. The pauses established silence that simulates endurance and acceptance. The tonal markers highlighted conditional phrasing transitioning from suffering to restraint to quiet hope. And the structural patterns attested the tradition in Ilocano oral literature. The intensive ethnopoetic analysis implies that Ilocano oral literature is not merely expressive or aesthetic, but pedagogical and moral, teaching how to live, feel, and endure. Its reflection in contemporary Ilocano poetry in the Philippines can be a good area for future studies to retain indigenous culture, voice emotional truth, and maintain intergenerational memory.